Coyote concerns continue as city begins trapping program

Pet owners are again being urged to keep their animals indoors and abide by the city’s leash law as the city has begun its efforts to address the coyote problem that has been plaguing residents and igniting conversation for the last few months.

This week, Shawn Phillips with Down South Trappers began the process by putting out three to four dozen non-lethal, steel “foothold restraints” around the city, primarily in the Vesclub and Tanglewood area.

Phillips said the equipment is the same that other states use to relocate animals, so they are designed to leave animals unharmed.

“What we do, we stand behind as the most humane way,” he said.

Unlike the traps made popular in the 1960s and 1970s that have “teeth” made of sharp steel designed to cut into the skin — traps commonly used for bears at the time — Phillips explained that his traps are engineered differently to reduce the trauma on the coyotes or any non-target animals that get caught.

The traps are made of steel Phillips ages to make them easier to hide, and are place near food and scents to attract the coyotes in. When a paw is placed on the trigger plate, the trap snaps closed, but not with an amount of force that would break bone or even cause bruising in most cases.

Phillips demonstrated the trap to city officials and Vestavia Voice, and said he himself gets caught in them over the course of his work dozens of times a year, and while it’s not exactly pleasant, it doesn’t cause any damage.

He said that the traps he uses do not have rubber edges, because the rubber can actually restrict blood flow or become sharp in the cold, which causes more pain and suffering for the animal.

The city and Phillips wanted to address concerns from residents after a cat was accidentally caught in one of the traps earlier this week, according to a post on Facebook.

Phillips said this is only the second time in two years a cat has been caught in one of his traps, because typically cats don’t weigh enough to set them off.

Dogs, however, do get trapped more often, a side effect of the process he said he regrets.

“There’s nothing I hate more than catching somebody’s dog,” he said, but added that with updates to the equipment, dogs are not harmed by the traps and only ever get hurt if they somehow bend their limb the wrong way in an attempt to escape.

The other major way pets would be harmed by the traps, Phillips said, is if inexperienced people try to help them get out, causing the pet stress and making the situation worse.

If a pet is caught in one of the traps, Phillips urged residents to call the Vestavia Hills Police Department at 978-0140 and report the animal. He, officer Jimmy Coleman or others will respond to free the animal as soon as possible.

The best thing people can do, Communications Specialist Cinnamon McCulley said, is to keep pets indoors if at all possible.

Property owners of the spots where the traps have been placed have been notified about them.

Phillips said he expects to significantly reduce the number of coyotes in Vestavia Hills over the life of this project, and has caught three in just a matter of 2-3 days.

Reducing the population is important, he said, because animals like the spotted skunk and red fox are becoming rare or even endangered because of the invasive species. He also said that he expects most of the animals he catches to be sick with sarocoptic mange or other diseases, which can be spread to dogs or even humans in some cases.

Survey Results

Over the last month, Vestavia Voice conducted an online survey to see how residents were encountering coyotes, and what they wanted to know about them.

An overwhelming majority, 76 percent, of those who had seen coyotes saw the animals near their homes.

A majority also reported having seen a coyote within the last week or month, and while there wasn’t a significant distinction in the time of day, the highest number of reported sightings were at dusk, at 21 percent.

Respondents indicated that they wanted to know more about what the city was doing to take care of the problem, and how they could keep their pets and small children safe.

Phillips said it would be nearly impossible for a child to get caught in the traps based on where they have been placed, but reiterated that they wouldn’t be harmed by one if they were.

Other respondents wanted to know if there are ways to live in peace with the animals, or ways to scare them off without having to eradicate them completely.